Tough decisions loom for Pittsburgh favorites

There was plenty of excitement generated by Paul Skenes’ debut Saturday night at PNC Park. Unfortunately, the bullpen folly of that 10-9 win for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the four losses in five games to close out their recent homestand drummed up some agitation within the fanbase and some grumbling within the media.

That included complaints over Andrew McCutchen’s results so far in 2024.

Up until the past week or so, the beloved McCutchen has been somewhat of a sacred cow in terms of the fervent criticism of the struggling Buccos lineup. Youngsters and newcomers such as Henry Davis, Jack Suwinski, Michael A. Taylor and Rowdy Tellez have made for much more convenient targets.

However, as agitation has grown with the offensive production of 19-23 Bucs, it’s been hard to ignore that the 37-year-old McCutchen has very much been looking his age throughout the year.

Despite a recent uptick and some predictive measurables that suggest McCutchen is snapping out of his season-long funk, he’s still only hitting with .200 with a .644 OPS and a .306 rOBA. Those are career-low trends. He also has only nine RBIs, a career-high strikeout rate of 27%, and a .167 batting average with runners on base.

That has led to some social media and sports talk radio banter about whether it’s time to DFA McCutchen, bench him more often, or, at the very least, drop him out of the top five of the batting order where he has lived most of the season.

The former MVP is not alone in Pittsburgh sports these days. Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward is entering the final year of his contract. It’s worth $22.4 million against the cap. He’s 35 and is coming off an injury-plagued, ineffective season.

Under normal NFL circumstances, that profile suggests that he’d be a prime candidate for a pay cut or a release. But Heyward is the reigning Walter Payton Man of the Year, a team captain and sixtime Pro Bowler who not only wants to stay for 2024 but also wants to play for another two or three years.

Then there is Evgeni Malkin with the Penguins. The three-time Stanley Cup champion and former Hart, Art Ross and Conn Smythe trophy winner is coming off a 67-point campaign, his lowest point total for a full season in his 18-year career. At 37, he has two years remaining on his contract at $6.1 million per season.

There are some difficult conversations to be had when it comes to these three players. So let’s have them.

In McCutchen’s case, I would find a way to play him less frequently or at least drop him in the batting order. It’s time to bring up Ji Hwan Bae and/or Jake Lamb. Both are hitting over .350 in Indianapolis.

As far as releasing him? If the Pirates were truly trying to win the World Series in 2024 or if they were at least above .500 and in contention for a division title, then, yes. That would make sense.

Since neither of those two things is true, the Pirates would likely be costing themselves more in public relations than they would be gaining in production if they were to cut McCutchen.

With Heyward and the Steelers, despite the prospect of saving $16 million, cutting Heyward isn’t the answer. They don’t have enough reliable defensive linemen. It’s better to hope that he bounces back from injury.

The team can certainly acquiesce to Heyward’s desire and work out an extension to spread out his cap hit over two or three years. At some point, though, that big bill is going to come due. It’s looming now.

The prudent thing to do would be to ask Heyward to take a pay cut and, if he warrants another deal after 2024, work it out then or allow him to walk in free agency. Ben Roethlisberger took a pay cut. Jerome Bettis took a pay cut. Heyward is an all-time great Steeler, but he’s not on a level above those two.

If Heyward doesn’t agree to a pay cut, the Steelers are just going to have to take the cap hit and keep their fingers crossed that he has another solid season left in the tank.

Malkin’s case is a little bit different. With a no-movement clause on his contract, Kyle Dubas can’t trade him without consent, and if you aren’t playing Malkin in the top six or on the power play, what’s the point of having him?

They can scratch him every night. Although, if this franchise was leery of doing that with Jeff Carter, do you really think they are going to do that to a team icon like Malkin? Unless Malkin wants to leave or can be talked into it, the Penguins are stuck with his contract and nothing but a prayer that he’ll find the Fountain of Youth this offseason.

Defenseman Kris Letang is also on the books for $6.1 million through 2028. He is no longer the level of player he once was either. But given his physical conditioning and the fact that he’s a defenseman, it doesn’t exactly put him under the same tent as these other three.

Whether fans of those longtime beloved players want to hear it or not, it’s not the responsibility of the franchises to let these players retire on their own terms in Pittsburgh and play out their remaining years for however long they desire. That’s especially true if their health and/or performances don’t merit extensions beyond this year. The clubs should only be committed to these players for the contracts they’ve signed until results prove otherwise at the end of each season, given that all three men are well into their 30s now.

Players are never beholden to their franchises once they hit free agency, but neither is the team. It feels like a oneway street when the players are in their prime earning position during their 20s. The realization that it’s a twoway street sometimes doesn’t hit until roughly 35.

Like it or not, that’s where all three of these Pittsburgh greats are right now.